The Universe and the Messages She Sends

I have a sister that is very specific about what I call her. She doesn’t like to be called my “older sister.” She also doesn’t like the term “big sister.” So instead, I choose to call her my “best sister” and she seems ok with that. It doesn’t matter that my best sister also happens to be my only sister. Kim is truly the best sister I could have ever asked for. 

When my best sister turned 50, my mom and I thought it would be fun to take a trip, just the three of us. We have done plenty of outings and overnights together but we haven’t really gone away for an extended time, with just us. 

My mom and I decided to plan a fun trip to Bermuda last May. We made arrangements to stay in Boston the night before so we could catch an early flight without having to wake up in what can feel like the middle of the night. And we got reservations at the Hamilton Princess - a gorgeous Bermuda resort with access to beaches and the town. We couldn’t wait!

But then, when the time for the trip arrived, my mom came down with an awful case of Pneumonia. There was no way we could make this trip happen together. My mom wanted Kim and I to go without her but that wasn’t even a negotiation. We couldn’t enjoy this vacation without her so we decided to cancel our plans and postpone our trip. 

Shortly after, when my mom recovered, we made new arrangements. We re-booked our trip exactly the way it was originally planned, but this time we decided to go the last weekend of October. We knew the weather would be a little cooler than in May but we decided that was ok….it was still better than New England, especially with all the rain we’ve had each weekend this summer!

We spent the summer thinking about what we were going to bring with us and what we could do in Bermuda, other than going to the beach. When my birthday came, my mom gave me a cute little travel bag for my toiletries that I coud use for the trip. Nothing was going to stop us this time. I mean, what were the odds, right?!

For about two weeks before we left, I obsessively watched the weather in Hamilton, Bermuda. It was going to be perfect - in the high 70’s with lots of sunshine! But then the time came for us to start packing so I needed to be sure I had the right clothes for the weather. When I clicked on my weather app, I saw a prediction that we knew was always a possibility, but the odds were low due to it being the end of the season. A hurricane was barrelling toward Bermuda! It looked like it would go to the East and I started to feel hopeful. It’ll be fine….maybe just a little wind and rain on our first day, but then things will clear up.

As we continued to watch the weather, we began to realize that things were not going to get better. The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm but it looked like it was going to be a direct hit. We soon realized that we would be flying into the island with gusty winds over 50 mph. And there would be rain the whole weekend. It was possible that the only sun we would see would be the day before we were due to turn around and come home. Was it worth spending all this money for this kind of weather? And, would the plane even fly in all that wind? The thought of our airplane landing in a storm gave me knots in my stomach.

We began to feel nervous and realized that a decision needed to be made about whether or not we would go on the trip. But the decision was easily made for us when my dad came down with a cold. He was feverish and tired so he decided to take a test. We couldn’t believe it when my dad tested positive for Covid. That was all we needed to hear! It was imperitive to cancel our trip. With a tropical storm and the likelihood that my mom would have Covid symptoms within the next few days, we decided not to go once again.

Jokingly, we all agreed that the universe was sending us a message. Maybe Bermuda wasn’t where we were supposed to celebrate together. The universe tried to tell us this back in May but we didn’t listen when we re-booked. So she had to be loud and clear by sending us a storm and sickness to keep us back.

The question is, why? Why doesn’t the universe want us to go to Bermuda? I thought about the the whole weekend that I was home but supposed to be away enjoying a beach vacation with the two women that know me best. I thought…

Maybe the universe is telling us that we can celebrate by being together but keep things a little more simple. 

Maybe we don’t need to obsess over what we will pack, or what the weather will be like. 

Maybe we don’t need to spend a lot of money. 

Maybe we don’t need to exhaust ourselves with airline travel. 

Maybe we can plan something a little more simple and still enjoy time away together.

Thinking about the universe’s message made me feel like my brain was going to places a little “out there.” But then I remembered what scientist, mathematician, physicist, and astronomer Sir Isaac Newton said…

“Nature is pleased with simplicity.”

Isaac Newton studied nature with a realistic eye and noticed patterns, beauty, art, predictability, and simplicity in everything that is in our natural world. There is nothing we can do to stop nature’s tropical storms or germs affecting our bodies. They are going to simply occur, whether we like it or not.

But, we can listen to nature’s universal messages. I truly believe that nature is constantly talking to us. All we have to do is recognize, listen, and decode what she’s saying. How often do we hear those little voices and see the signs but choose to forge ahead anyway? All those “maybes” I was thinking about are truths about my sister’s birthday trip…

We can celebrate together and keep things simple.

We don’t need to obsess over what to pack.

The weather will be what it will be and we can’t predict that.

We don’t need to spend a lot of money.

We don’t need to exhaust ourselves in our travels.

We can plan something simple and still enjoy our time together.

We are so lucky that the universe and nature have given us this gift of time together. It honestly doesn’t matter what we do, as long as we are with each other. Time is fragile so it is important to take advantage of it.

Ironically, the day we were supposed to leave for our trip, my mom did eventually come down with Covid. Kim and I did spend time together over the weekend anyway, picking apples and doing a little shopping and lunch in Newport together. Even though it wasn’t the same and we missed our mom, Kim and I still enjoyed part of the weekend with each other, but without the stress of the weather, sickness, or overall travel. It was nice to be together, enjoying the warmth and the sunshine of the fall season back home in Rhode Island.

I was supposed to be flying home from Bermuda today, but instead I am writing this blog, sipping some warm tea, and listening to the chilly New England rain fall on my roof. But that’s OK. Because I know as soon as everyone is feeling better, we will make new plans. And we will listen to what the universe is telling us and take advantage of time together without exhaustion, expense, or worries.

And, of course, I can’t wait to celebrate the best sister that nature gave me!